Till death do us part
by Godfather's sweetheart
Summary: Ren's best friend has died. This story is about how he contemplated his friend's death and how he coped with all the feelings you get when someone you love dies. HoroRen based in a true story.


Summary: Ren's best friend has died. This story is about how he contemplated his friend's death and how he coped with all the feelings you get when someone you love dies. (HoroxRen) Based in a true story.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman king… or Horo Horo, or Ren. But one day I will marry Hiroyuki Takei and I'm damn sure… he'll give me shaman king. **

**Till death do us part…**

Ren Tao was at the top of a large oak in the graveyard that he recently started coming to, doing what he also recently started growing used to. To think about the past… think about his only and true friend.

He was watching with intense eyes the dusk that was being displayed in front of him. Angry oranges mixing with fierce yellows and reds. The sky was amazing… the sky was just like that day when his life changed forever.

"How weird it feels that you're not longer here. You're really gone.

Not here, or in Hokkaido, or in some stupid place in U.S.A…

Instead you are three meters under the earth.

Fourteen days now… since you died due to a surfboard. Is funny how you were a shaman and still you couldn't beat the power of nature."

(FLASHBACK IN REN'S P.O.V)

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

The almighty ocean claimed its victim. It was you… from all the people on earth and it had to be you. It wasn't easy, but at the same time I feel that I wasn't even thinking. Seeing your body floating in that immense blue and green blanket.

We tried to reach you, we really tried and I think we failed. Everything was so blurry, your body and nothing else.

The shadow that used to be you was thrown by the ocean to the shore. I grabbed you by the shoulders and screamed your name. Your once smiling and interesting features were still and at the same time very peaceful, washed by the light of dusk.

Your eyes. What shocked me the most were your eyes; not completely open and not completely closed. I'm sure those dark azure dots were still looking straight at me.

Somehow I try to think that even before you died you saw and understood that we tried to save your life.

Foam and blood emerged from your nose and mouth. My common sense was telling me that you were gone but my heart refused to give up yet.

People around us asked for your name. I said Horo… that was everything that my brain, heart and soul allowed me to say.

All the people screamed from the top of their lungs along with us your name, like a chorus, but not in that literal way.

"Wake up Horo!"… "Go kid, open your eyes!"… "Mom, is that boy goin' to die?"

You've never been the weak type of person and I know you fought, unfortunately, to death.

The fucking ambulance came thirty minutes late. They came and carried your body away. People cried, but me and my friends just couldn't. I touched my eyes and they were bone dry.

Two hours, two damned hours waiting. I hate to wait. Yoh was already at the verge of tears and Chocolove was bawling like a little baby. Hell yeah, we waited… only for the doctors to come out of the emergency room to say with that annoying, boring voice, that you died almost three hours ago.

Time stood still and our lives took a 360° spin.

What came after that was totally new for me. That same night was probably one of the worst of my life. Your death was being replayed in my head over and over again.

1:00 am. I wasn't supposed to be sleeping; I was supposed to be getting wasted with you. Everything was so perfectly planned. We would arrive to the beach, swim and surf for a while and then get totally wasted at night.

Bastard, you even carried condoms, what the hell were you planning to do? Huh, stupid question, I'll rephrase it… who were you thinking on screwing up?

The next day I took a little walk on the beach and I saw the damned object. The stupid surfboard. I grabbed it and saw a funny thing, I saw your name scraped in it. Shit, I started to miss you.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Ren Tao moved from his place on the tree. He was starting to get uncomfortable. He jumped, landing gracefully on the ground and started walking towards a place he knew very well… Horo's grave. Once he got there he sat near to the headstone and started talking to it, as if Horo Horo could listen to him. He wasn't sure if Horo could, but he felt the need to tell him what happened and what he felt during Horo's funeral and burial. He knew his friend would've wanted to know…

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"You know? When we got back in town, we had to do really tiring stuff. Telling your parents, your sister and the rest of our friends the bad news.

We stuck to the strict version of what happened. You were surfing and the sea was merciless. A huge wave raised to the sky and you got caught in it. Then… the board hit your neck and that was it for you. That was it. Of course, we avoided to tell the fact that we drank a couple of beers, that we had a little fight just for fun, that we warned you not to get into the ocean and that you didn't obey us.

But what your family or the friends that were there don't even know, because I never talked about it, is that when you were carried away in the ambulance I tied a little chinese charm I always carry with me in your ankle. That I even prayed when no one was looking at me… funny right?

The funeral was sick. I assume there were almost 150 people there. You were a very loved little bastard, don't you?"

XxXxXxXxX

Ren breathed, trying to suppress the tears that were threatening to fall… this was still difficult to him, he couldn't continue talking, so he just recalled the thoughts that he had those days, and hoped Horo could listen to his thoughts.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"Ok… I'm ready to get in there. Here I go… there's your coffin almost in the very entrance of this place, but I'm not able to look in it yet. The place is really pretty and full of flowers. Well, this isn't your style at all. But who cares, you can't notice anyway.

I take a second look around, the people here seem overwhelmed. Who blames them.

Our friends are next to the coffin, in utter silence, they just found out today in the morning. I haven't really talked to them, so I don't have a clue who took the worst blow about the news.

Damn, your sister and parents aren't here yet. I wonder what's going to happen when they get here… I can only imagine.

I'm sick of pacing around this place. All right, I guess it's time to see you. Shit. The last time I saw you, you were still alive. I don't know if I'm going to be able to look at you in that fucking coffin without breaking it and yelling at you to wake up. I have to admit it, I'm afraid. The great Tao Ren is afraid to look at a coffin.

Ok… here I go… breathe Ren, breathe…

There you are, lying motionless. God, you don't look the same. You are so still, so quiet, so… so not you. And… what the hell happened to your clothes! Come on, I mean… a tuxedo? I'm sure that if you were still alive, you would've been protesting against the "penguin suit" as you used to call it. But again, you can't notice anyway.

I chuckle a little and Anna glares at me. I'm sure she thinks I am insane. In fact I am, but, it's just that I remembered something.

Remember when you said the only way you would wear a tuxedo would be at your wedding and your funeral? And that you would do everything to avoid wearing the penguin suit in your wedding?

Wait… wha… am I crying? Shit, for the very first time since you died I'm crying. I think it was due to the shock. At first what I felt was just anger and sadness, but now I'm starting to feel alone, and that makes me feel desperate, that makes me cry.

Screams, loud and ear piercing screams… Pirika?

She runs towards the coffin and falls on her knees screaming your name. Your mother comes to scene literally pulling her hair off, also screaming your name. Your father is standing at the frame of the door in the entrance… he just can't come in.

At this point, the people that weren't crying started to cry by then. Hey Horo, this isn't your type of scenario right?

Ok, it's time to say goodbye… to look at your face one last time. What can I say man, my brain isn't processing anything, my mouth opens but no words come out. I have to gather strength somehow. I breathe and mutter my last words to you…

'Stupid porcupine head… I love you'

XxXxXxXxX

Ren got dead calm. He felt tranquility now. He knew Horo would understand his reaction, but surely he would mock at him because he wasn't able to finish talking about his memories. He simply would NOT allow Horo to mock him, so he started talking once again…

XxXxXxXxX

"The day in the graveyard is a blurry memory. People mourning and sobbing and the coffin going down… the earth swallowing you.

It was such a contrast, the heavy atmosphere in the air, and the sun shining and burning as if there were no tomorrow.

I have a lot of regrets you know... I should've been nicer to you. I should've told you that you were my best friend in the whole fucking universe. I should've kissed you… instead of that mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Such an amazing first kiss, right? Anyways, I should've told you that I loved you.

And that's all I can remember about everything related to your death. It's strange, my memories of that day in the graveyard are blocked. I'm not sure of what happened. I can't remember how I got to that tree near to your tomb or how I got on top of it, all I'm sure is about those last words I said to you at the end of that day. Of course, you are such an ass, and probably you didn't listen to my words… so pay attention, because I'm going to repeat them just one more time"

Ren stared at the headstone lovingly and whispered those words he once said when he was at the top of that oak tree the day after Horo's burial finished…

"Till death do us part Horo… I'll see you soon…very, very soon"

Yeah, I know that the ending is not the best thing you've ever read, but please people, please don't kill me… This is my very first fic in my whole entire life. I've never written anything before. Besides, English is not my main language, so there you go.

**This story was inspired in an experience I had 5 months ago. My**** best friend in the whole universe (Ricardo) died while he was surfing. It was something REALLY hard to cope with but I had no choice. Everything Ren saw and thought in this story… well, I saw and thought it too. **

**Ok, Reviews are very much appreciated and tell me please if I had ****any mayor grammatical mistakes.**

**P.S****. Don't wait for a tragedy to happen to tell those you love that you love them.**

**Read ya' later**


End file.
